Sunday, May 04, 2008

New Labour, New Labour Message..........can it work?

Have just heard Harriet Harman on the Politics Show, following on from Gordon Brown this morning. Apparently now they not only have to listen but also to communicate their message more simply to the (presumably uneducated) masses.

Yes, of course, in a soundbite, instant gratification age, messages need to be sharp and memorable. But in my humble opinion the problem Labour has is that the message they are trying to convey (change for the better) is discordant with the reality (more of the same tired old government). The Tory's message is very simple and exactly the same - change for the better. The advantage they have is that, despite not a shred of evidence that their change would be for the better, they certainly offer change! Enough water has passed under the bridge in the last 11 years for people to forget the dying days of John Major's government and Cameron's great gift to be able to speak without saying anything, means that the electorate may be forgiven for believing there is a chance his Tory government will be different from the last one. After all, they now care for the poor don't they?

So, bring in the spinners, buy in the marketing consultants, come up with a new message if you must, but it will be totally useless if that message is totally at odds with the reality on the ground.

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